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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25241614">Diablo</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/quasigeoid/pseuds/quasigeoid'>quasigeoid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>S.W.A.T. (TV 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:14:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,082</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25241614</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/quasigeoid/pseuds/quasigeoid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>My take on how the season 3 final episode could have played out. Contains spoilers if you haven't watched it already! (so if you haven't: go watch it! not an order but a recommendation) :b</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Diablo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Ahm, wow, I am really bad a this. This is my first work and English is my second language. So, I hope it is not to bad o.O<br/>Anyway I hope you have fun reading my take on how the episode "Diablo" (last one of season 3) could have been. </p><p>Again: this contains spoilers if you haven't watched season 3 of S.W.A.T. </p><p>This work starts when Chris and Street are at the apartment, waiting for Diablo's men to find them.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Chris, you're hit."<br/>
It was a simple statement and Chris instantly knew that Street meant no offence.<br/>
Of course, he worried about her wellbeing, but he mostly tried to keep his focus. Taking in a situation without sugar coating it was a skill Street didn't possess in the beginning of their partnership. He had come a long way since then. A sharp pain in her right shoulder forced her to suck in a painful breath. Behind the door El Diablos henchmen could be heard kicking in doors. Another few seconds and their location would be made and they had to fight to stay alive. Hondo and Deacon were still 60 seconds out. The way Street kept scanning her and then the door that concealed them he must have come to the same conclusion.<br/>
"Go to the bathroom. Protect that woman and her daughter."<br/>
Every instinct in Chris wanted to tell her partner no. She would not leave his side, they would fight together, but they were running out of time and protecting civilians should be their first priority. She dared to lock eyes with him for a split second and she could see the war going on inside him. He wanted her to fight with him, to deny his command. They trusted each other with their lives, especially in a fight. If they wanted to have a real chance at beating their opponents, they needed to divide the group of at least four heavily armed gang members. With a quick nod Chris signalled that she understood Street's plan and backed off toward the hallway. She found the bathroom door locked. Quickly scanning through the other rooms, she decided to take cover behind the drawer in the hallway opposite to the bathroom door. She could hear the handle of the apartment door rattle. A second later the door burst open, no doubt forcefully kicked in. Immediately shots rang through the apartment, making her stiffen in her stance and train her weapon toward the hallway entry. A man appeared in her line of vision and she took the shot without hesitation. More footsteps could be heard from outside the apartment but the shooting seemed to have stopped. She slowly made her way over to the man she shot, collecting his weapon with a swift motion. Carefully peaking around the corner, she could make out three other bodies, none of which looked like a SWAT officer. Sighing in relief she was about to check the entrance for any sign of her partner when more voices and footsteps penetrated the silence that had overcome the apartment. Quickly shielding herself from any newcomers in the building hallway she tried to make out the number of people coming her way. She was pretty sure she could make out two different types of footsteps when a voice rang through the hallway, making her close her eyes in relief for a second.<br/>
"Chris? Street?", Hondo’s voice cut through.<br/>
"In here, apartment is clear." Chris answered immediately.<br/>
She briefly wondered why Hondo had called out for Street, because her partner should have been in the hallway somewhere clearing the area.<br/>
"We counted 9 shooters, including El Diablo. He escaped during the shootout. The apartment owner and her daughter are hiding inside the bathroom."<br/>
Hondo seemed to do the math in his head, if all the shooters were out and only El Diablo was on the run, Street should have radioed in by now.<br/>
"20-David to 26-David, status."<br/>
Deacon gestured for Chris' shoulder while they waited for a reply. She shook her head, signalling him that it was fine and her vest saved her life once again. She could go on till the mission was over. The older sergeant scrutinized her for a few seconds than nodded towards their team leader, giving his silent opinion. Hondo repeated his call but got no response whatsoever. He then went on and called for backup as well as Streets location. Tan and Luca quickly replied. They would reach them in less than 20 seconds. Deacon than proceeded to give Chris new ammunition since she had only two bullets left. Hicks was just telling them that Streets GPS position showed that he was in the backyard of the apartment complex when another round of shots pierced through the air. The SWAT officers jumped into action, Hondo leading the way out of the apartment, Deacon on his two, Chris taking the backside. A pair of police officers coming their way were directed to look after the woman and her daughter. At the end of the hallway they reached the fire escape door, which was shattered, leading to the escape stairs. They made their way down fast, the stairs being the only logical option for Street to escape possible shooters. Hondo directed Tan and Luca to the base of the escape stairs. The two officers met them at the bottom, looking grim. Street still hadn't radioed in which only let to a few options. And if the previous shots were taken into consideration, it seemed like he faced an unknown number of shooters they hadn't been able to make out before. Most likely heavy armed and Street ran low on ammunition even before the apartment shooting. The team made their way around the apartment complex, checking the area with precision.<br/>
"Guys on your three." Luca pointed out.<br/>
Near the fence separating the properties they could make out a radio laying abandoned in the grass. Hondo motioned for Tan and Luca to check it out, whom confirmed their suspicions a mere second later. Hondo scanned the backyard again. If Street lost his radio, they lost his position as well.<br/>
"Boss!" Chris was checking the fence, searching for a clue as to where her partner could have gone after he lost his radio.<br/>
There was a trail of blood on the wooden fence as well as a piece of black fabric. The way parts of flowerpots and garden tools were spread around made it clear that a fight had taken place.<br/>
"20-David to Command. Can we get a bird to our location to get eyes on the neighbouring apartment complex?"<br/>
"Negative 20-David. All birds are searching for El Diablo.", came Hicks instant reply, though he seemed to dislike the fact as much as Hondo disliked going in without any idea of what awaited them behind this fence.<br/>
"Deacon, Luca, you take the left side. Tan, Chris, you're with me."<br/>
They made their way over to the opposite street perfectly in sync. Hondo giving the sign to enter the property. Luca and Deacon taking the four side while Hondo led Chris and Tan at the two side. If the backyard of the other complex indicated a fight, this yard was a warzone. Two more bodies littered the ground, one of them clearly took a shot to the head, the other one seemed to sport a broken neck, his head lay at a weird angle. Broken pieces of furniture surrounded a third person. Tan and Deacon went toward the man, checking for a pulse. The man groaned when touched by Deacon and Tan immediately took away possible weapons before he cuffed the man with cable ties.<br/>
"Hondo. Chris." Luca suddenly trained his weapon towards a garden shed in the far back corner of the yard. There was a shadow of a least one other person, possible more. The three of them slowly approached the shed, Luca and Chris circling to the right to get different angles on the situation. If needed they could each take a shot from a different position. Tan and Deacon moved behind them, keeping track of the rest of the yard to eliminate other possible threats. Luca was the first one to get a good look behind the shed and his reaction caused his teammates to spring into action fast. Holstering his weapon Luca dropped to his knees beside the figure leaning against the wall for support. Street was a mess. His weapon and helmet lay discarded next to his right arm engulfed in a small puddle of blood. Angry bruises were already forming on the officers’ face and neck, his nose looked broken. The blood left a trail on his right arm, Luca already pressing his hands to a bullet wound on Streets shoulder, directly next to the straps of his vest. Hondo was next to Luca in a second, his hand automatically searching for a pulse. He let out a breath when he found one, weaker than he liked, but it was there. Chris had taken position on Streets left side, noticing her partners hand on his own thigh. She carefully took his hand away, horrified when she felt the wetness of more blood soaking through her tactical gloves, revealing another bullet wound which she immediately put pressure on. Behind them Deacon was barking orders into his com. The response came instantly, an ambulance was 40 seconds out. Upon hearing the reply Tan moved back to the street, waiting for the EMTs. On the ground Streets eyelids began to flutter, a weak groan escaping him as his brain caught up with his current situation.<br/>
"Hey kid. Everything is going to be okay. Just stay put."<br/>
Hondo’s hand wandered to cup Streets face, keeping him from moving his head and possibly damaging his neck further. The way he had winced when moving even a little was enough reason for Hondo to suspect possible neck vertebrae damage. Therefore, he had to keep his officer from moving too much. He locked eyes with Deacon for a second who was an ever-grounding presence behind them, especially in straining situations like this. Their attention was taken by Tan coming around the corner with EMTs and a few police officers in tow. The police checking and securing the yard as well as taking care of the still very alive perp who laid cuffed where Tan had left him moments before. The EMTs went straight over to Hondo, who concentrated on Street again. The young officers’ eyes seemed to search for something in the distance albeit moving slow and unfocused. Deacon gave information about Streets status to the approaching EMTs. Hondo and Luca were forced to step back as the first responders started to work on their friend. A neck brace was secured around Streets neck before they carefully laid him down. His shoulder was quickly bandaged, so was the wound on this thigh. Chris was still holding onto Streets hand and somehow the EMTs got the message to not mess around with the officer right now, though they instructed her to stay out of the way. The sound of a portable heart monitor filled the air, monitoring Streets weakening pulse. A bunch of medical terms were thrown around, none of which the SWAT officers could really determine if they were good or bad. Street was then placed on a back board and taken towards the waiting ambulance.<br/>
"He lost a lot of blood. Blood pressure is dropping, we need to move now." One of the EMTs stated, his skilled hands flying over his patients’ body, putting an IV in place.<br/>
Within seconds they had Street inside the ambulance and Chris was about to jump in behind them when their coms crackled.<br/>
"Command to 20-David. El Diablo was sighted 5 seconds ago coming in your direction. Do you copy?" Hondo cursed under his breath.<br/>
"This is 20-David. We move to meet him halfway."<br/>
Chris was about to protest but Deacon shook his head ever so slightly.<br/>
"Let’s get the guy responsible for all of this." His eyes conveyed sympathy.<br/>
All of them wanted nothing more than to jump into that ambulance and keep an eye on their friend, but the mission wasn't over just yet. And with Hondo giving commands the doors of the ambulance closed shut and the vehicle sped down the street, sirens blazing. Chris collected her thoughts briefly before she followed her team down the street, taking more and more ground between her and her best friend.</p><p>Taking in El Diablo turned out to be a chase through the entire block but in the end, they cornered him, limiting his opportunities to escape enough to make him desperate. Since his leg was bleeding profusely the mob boss opted for taking a hostage. Hondo’s team had him in a half circle, 50-David was approaching from behind. Someone would have a shot and El Diablo seemed to catch onto that fact rather quickly. It took him only seconds to decide his own fate, choosing life instead of death. With the hostage safe and Rocker’s team handling the arrest Hondo asked Hicks for an update on Streets’ condition, figuring that the commander would use all his power to get any information there was.<br/>
"He made it to the hospital and they got him into surgery as soon as they arrived. That was 10 minutes ago." Hicks voice was reassuring, but it couldn’t change the fact that they still had no idea if Street would be okay.<br/>
The days’ events would soon catch up on them and Hondo wouldn’t be as great of a team leader as he was if he wouldn’t make it his own quest to make sure everybody on his team was alright. They made it back to Black Betty in record time, Hicks awaiting them outside the command truck.<br/>
"I know our shift isn’t over yet, but..."<br/>
"I called Buck. He is on his way to the hospital. I know you all want to be there right now, but we have to finish here first. After that you are free to got to the hospital. Rocker’s team will take the rest of your shift."<br/>
Hondo nodded, grateful to have someone like Hicks as a commanding officer. He briefly checked on his team. Tan and Luca were trying their best to shield their emotions. Chris on the other hand looked like she wanted to jump in the next car and drive to the hospital on her own. Deacon seemed to have caught on to her line of thinking and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.<br/>
"Let’s get you checked out. You know the drill."<br/>
His words were met with a defeated sigh, but the young officer followed none the less. The rest busied themselves with helping to keep curious bystanders at bay. A few gang members were still free but since they weren’t nearly as prepared as the SWAT officers’ they were secured rather fast now that the main player had been arrested.<br/>
The ride to the hospital was quiet. Luca driving Black Betty as fast as he could, Tan as his navigator. Chris starred at Streets seat, unable to get the picture of her partner bleeding on the ground out of her head. If only she hadn’t been hit in that hallway, if she reacted faster. They could have taken those guys out if she had been at her 110%.<br/>
"This is not your mistake. You two made the choice you had to make back in the apartment." Hondo cut through her haze of thoughts.<br/>
"I know.", she replied, but by the look on both Hondo and Deacons face it wasn’t convincing at all.<br/>
"If the roles were reversed would you be blaming Street?", her head snapped up at Hondo’s implication. She shook her head vehemently.<br/>
"So stop blaming yourself. Street is a fighter and right now he needs us to be strong for him, too."<br/>
As soon as Luca stopped the truck at the hospital the officers jumped out and were immediately greeted by their former team leader. Buck had one hell of a year behind him, but Hondo was sure that absolutely nothing could stop this man from being there for his surrogate son right now. Even if nobody on the team really knew how deep Buck and Street went back, they all knew that they cared deeply for each other.<br/>
"Hicks called, told me you’d be here soon. He wasn’t exaggerating." Without waiting for a verbal response, he went back inside.<br/>
They followed him through crowded hallways to the waiting area for surgeries, which was a little less crowded with people. Each taking a seat they reverted back to silence. Buck took in his former team, shaking his head slowly. This kind of situation were never easy, if all, it was the hardest part of their job.<br/>
"I am going to get coffee.", he announced after a while. Deacon stood as well offering his help. Together they made it to the cafeteria.<br/>
"What happened back there, Deac?", Buck asked when they waited in line to pay.<br/>
"Hicks didn’t tell?", Deacon asked back. When Buck shook his head, he continued.<br/>
"Well, I don’t really have all the answers as well, but seems like our kid went against three gang members and managed to come out on top while running low on ammunition." Buck nodded, a small smile appearing on his face.<br/>
"He was always a skilled fighter. And if I know one thing it’s that he is fighting right now. He’ll make it."<br/>
Deacon chuckled.<br/>
"He has to, otherwise Chris is going to kick his ass."<br/>
"That is something he won’t come out on top off." With their hearts a little lighter they made their way back to the waiting area.<br/>
When they came back, they handed the coffee to their friends.<br/>
"Ah, nothing is better than stale hospital coffee to check if you are still alive.", Hondo groaned after he took a sip.<br/>
"I think they make it this bad so that nobody makes a habit of coming to the hospital.", Deacon offered while the others finally allowed themselves to smile, if only a little.<br/>
"Family of James Street?" They were on their feet in a second, turning towards the new voice. The approaching doctor took a moment to inspect the people in front of him and to greet them. Five of them wearing tactical gear, one civilian.<br/>
"I am listed as his next-of-kin.", Buck offered than gave his consent when asked if the doctor was allowed to speak freely to all of them.<br/>
"First of all, he pulled through and he will most likely make a full recovery. He lost a lot of blood because of the bullet wounds, but both went through and through and missed any vital arteries. He has a light swelling around his neck due to blunt trauma, which is a bit tricky but I am confident that once the swelling subsides, he won’t have any lasting damage. Further testing will be made but it looks promising already. Apart from that his nose is broken, so are three of his rips and he has multiple bruises and lacerations. We will keep him till the swelling around his neck is gone and to make sure none of the wounds get infected." Buck shook the doctors hand thanking him and asked when they would be able to see their friend. He was assured that a nurse would come after they had Street settled into his room. True to his word, 10 minutes later, a nurse came and let them to a room on the internal surgery wing.<br/>
"He will still be pretty out of it. Make sure to keep your voices down and if you have any concerns feel free to use the call button. He should wake up soon.", she smiled, then left them to their own devices.<br/>
The room was a typical hospital surveillance room, having a giant window towards the hallway and a see-through door. Even from outside they could see the extend of Streets injuries clear as day. His skin was pale, while his eyes sported dark circles. The neck brace was still in place, a fact that would most likely not be pleasant for Street when he woke up. He wore a nasal canula and had several IV and blood transfusions. His nose was had only a little strip across a laceration, but bruises littered the skin around. It wasn’t swollen, so Luca counted that as a win when he took in his friends’ appearance. Buck was the first one to enter with Chris high on his heels. From up close a few more bruises were visible. Chris seated herself on the foot of the bed, making sure not to disrupt her colleagues’ slumber. Buck took seat on a chair in the back of the room next to a table. Deacon joined him while Luca and Tan occupied the couch facing the bed. Hondo stayed standing near the door, lost in thought. Hospital visits always seemed like an endless waiting game. First the ride to the hospital, then waiting for news and finally waiting for whoever was unlucky enough to have gotten himself in the hospital to wake up. Now, with the visible proof that Street would make it, the group got slowly back to their usual bantering, albeit trying to be as quiet as possible. They were in the middle of a heated discussion about who would have a better aim if the target was concealed by multiple windows with blinds when the tired voice of their injured team member interrupted them.<br/>
"What has a guy to do to get a good undisturbed sleep?", Streets eyes were still closed but his mouth was curled in an attempt to smile.<br/>
"Maybe not get shot next time?", Buck offered.<br/>
"You think there is a next time?", Street shot back, which earned him six raised eyebrows to which he quickly closed his eyes again.<br/>
“And by the way, Chris would totally have the best aim.", Street went on when nobody graced his statement with a reply.<br/>
"How long have you been awake? But I think we should take his opinion into consideration.", Chris nodded, smiling down at Street from where she sat at the end of his bed.<br/>
"That’s just the pain medication talking.", Luca insisted. And just like that they were back to their discussion, but all of them keep an eye on Street to check if he was still following their conversation. Street tried his best to participate but in the end the pain medication combined with the tiredness of a long day and a surgery took its toll and he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.<br/>
"I think it’s time we let sleeping beauty get his much-deserved rest.", Hondo said, while Deacon and Buck ushered the rest of the team out of the room. Street only graced him with an unintelligible mumble, which further proved the point that he needed his rest.<br/>
"Glad you’re okay, kid.", Hondo said while he left the room at last and he could swear he saw a smile appear on Streets’ face.<br/>
Outside Chris was already objecting to Deacons order to go home, have a nice shower and get a good night rest.<br/>
"I am not going to let him be here all by himself.", Chris said.<br/>
Nobody was raising the question why a certain person hadn’t shown up in the first place. Buck shook his head.<br/>
"You all had an exhausting shift. You go home and come back in the morning." Chris was about to say something but Buck pressed on.<br/>
"Chris, you are no good to him if you pass out in his room because of exhaustion. I will stay with him during the night. He won’t be alone." That seemed to do the trick.<br/>
"We have our day off tomorrow, so how about we meet here in the morning to check on Street and take over for Buck.", Hondo offered to which his team including Buck nodded in agreement. The latter said his goodbyes and went back inside the room, placing a chair next to Streets bedside and taking the younger man’s hand in his. He quietly watched as the SWAT officers left for their well-deserved rest before he closed his eyes and let a single tear roll down his face. A few months ago, he had wanted to take his life, not caring that he would leave people behind. At the time he felt like they would get over it sooner rather than later, but right now he realised again how scary is was to be at this side of the hospital bed. Loosing Street would break him and he felt sad when he thought about leaving him behind willingly. He made a mental note to himself, savouring the moment. He logically knew he had more reasons to live for, but if nothing else seemed worth it, his son was always going to be worth fighting for.</p>
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